Incurable

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˌɪnˈkjʊəɹəbl/

Definitions

1. A condition or disease that cannot be healed or remedied by medical treatment
2. A medical situation that is impossible to cure or manage effectively through any form of therapeutic intervention
3. A health issue that remains persistent and untreatable by available medical procedures or medications

Etymology: "Incurable" is a straightforward formation: the prefix "in-" meaning "not" joined to "curable," which itself comes from the Latin "curare," to take care of or heal. The Latin root "cura" carried a sense of care and attention before it narrowed to medical treatment, and the same root gave English "cure," "curate," and "sinecure" (an office requiring no duties, literally "without care"). The adjective arrived in English through Old French "incurable," which was itself borrowed from Late Latin "incurabilis," meaning "not able to be healed." The Latin form was built from "in-" plus "curabilis," so the word passed through French before settling into English. Because the root meant "care" in general, the negation carries the sense of something beyond anyone's care, not merely something beyond a doctor's skill.

Synonyms: untreatable, irreparable

Antonyms: curable, treatable